Tag: State of Mind

An interesting conversation with the driver of a car aggregator reminded me of Rahul Gandhi’s “Poverty is just a state of mind” and the controversy that followed in August 2013.

The conversation

As I got into the cab, Raja greeted me with a smile. He negotiated the Mumbai traffic calmly and soon we struck a conversation. I asked him how he was doing, if he was earning enough etc and he answered with a certain sense of positivity.

On the way we passed a kaali peeli taxi stand (as the local taxis are called because they have black and yellow colours) and saw a couple arguing with the taxi driver who was refusing a fare. Raja shook his head and said “When will these guys realise customer comes first”.

“I used to be a kaali peeli taxi driver six months ago”, he continued. “I was like him then; poorly dressed in that khaki uniform which I would wear for many days continuously without washing. I used to be rude. Then I got this God sent opportunity. I am trained to handle situations better. Now I dress up in neatly ironed clothes and keep my car clean. Once I settled down I helped few of my friends to take this up. They are grateful that I guided them out of that mess. I am now planning to invest in a car of my own.”

The conversation then moved on to other topics like inflation, politics, his family and his view of the future. As we bid goodbye one couldn’t but notice his confidence and the hope he exuded.

The take-away

Raja wasn’t poor. He didn’t transition out from a state of poverty. However, he made some very interesting points.

The car aggregator provided him with an opportunity to change himself

He grabbed the opportunity with both his hands and started climbing the ladder.

He was instrumental in helping others do the same

Some others did not make that choice and remained where they were.

If one were to distil the essence from Raja’s story two key ingredients helped him transition to a better way of life. One was an enabling environment and the other was attitude (state of mind).

An enabling environment can be created by society, by the government, by entrepreneurs, by private enterprises and by self help groups (NGOs). In Raja’s case it was the car aggregator.

How an individual responds to the opportunity thrown towards him depends on his attitude/ ‘state of mind’. One can see the contrast. Raja grabbed the opportunity, helped a few others. Some others, who did not have any constraining factors but didn’t have the bent of mind, may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunity.

Post-Script

Now let us look at what Rahul is reported to have said.

“I understand the weaknesses of our system. I will try my best to help the people but unless and until the voice of the marginalised comes out from within, nothing can be done.”

“Poverty is just a state of mind. It does not mean the scarcity of food, money or material things. If one possesses self-confidence, then one can overcome poverty.”

“My one and only political aim is that I want to tune my ears to the voice of the poor and the marginalised.”

Taken as a whole, the thoughts Rahul expressed were in tune with what happened in Raja’s life.

However, one part of the statement was taken out of context and it took the ‘Rahul mocks the poor’ trajectory.